Muffled screams slid into her waking consciousness as her eyes peered open. A thick veil of grey blurred her vision and filled her lungs with its choking, dry smell. As the vision of her surroundings grew, the scene of orange grew wider and brighter before her as she's carried off in the arms of someone twice her size.

"…Daddy?" she whispered in the ear of her carrier.

The carrier ignored the girl's whisper, opting to run faster until they hit the cold brisk air of the late afternoon day. It took a moment for the little girl to realize the firefighters who were charging past them as they went to confront the blaze that continued to spew forward.

"You're safe now…" her carrier said as he continued to move. The girl's small head whipped around, realizing the man holding her was of a much lighter complexion than her father, but a familiar face, nonetheless. "Uncle Lucas…? Where's daddy…?"

Lucas didn't respond, continuing to run further away from the blazing building. It didn't take long for the girl to put two and two together and focus all her attention on breaking free and going back for her father.

"Let me go!" She struggled. Each passing second brought them further and further away from the building. Despite her pleas, Lucas kept running, almost as if each cry made him run faster and faster. And as the building grew into a smaller and smaller ember in a void of black.

"I want my dad! No, go back! Don't leave him!" She cried with each step. "Daddy…! DADDY!"


"DADDY!" Megan shot out of her bed in a cold sweat. No longer was she staring down an inferno, but instead she found herself in the darkness of her bedroom, the streetlights outside providing a little bit of illumination to the otherwise pitch-black room.

Her hand rose to her face as she sought some stabilization, quickly noticing how she was shaking. Trevor's words picked this moment to reverberate in her mind, causing her to suppress the scream that she wished to utter. Instead, her eyes expressed themselves, leaking tears down the side of her face.

Six apologetic text messages, three voice messages with similar pleads to talk. Trevor would try to convince her that she was justified but it didn't feel like that. She told herself that she overreacted; she told herself that she was in the wrong. Who was she to tell him how to go about his life. He was just looking out for her, Adam, and Emily. He wasn't going to put himself in danger. He knew better…

Wiping her eyes, she reached for her phone, thinking that Trevor may have responded while she was sleeping. She found a notification, her heart thumping at the possibility that Trevor finally responded to her.

It was Emily.

"Hey, Trevor texted me and said that he's planning on checking up on Adam to see if he's woken up. He'll be there tomorrow morning and said to let you know…"

Megan should've figured as much. Trevor is probably avoiding her and had Emily relay the message.

As tempting as it was for Megan to ask why Trevor couldn't've messaged her himself, she instead opted to tell her to meet her at the hospital at 11 AM. It was a Sunday so if need be, they could spend as much time with Adam and even see him home if he were released.

Megan sent the message, set the phone back on her nightstand, and turned around in her bed, closing her stressed eyes and hoping for a better day following…


Chapter 6: Father Figures


That liar…he said he was gonna be here.

Megan was lost in her thoughts as she stood beside Megan inside the elevator. The other girl noticed Megan was unusually quiet, prompting her to pry through a little.

"So…" Emily wasn't the best at small talk but any opportunity to practice, "…how are you feeling after yesterday…?"

Megan perked up, "You said something?"

Emily paused but shook her head. "Nothing; just thinking out loud."

Megan nodded, leaning her head against the wall. "He said he was going to be here right? I'm not going crazy, am I?"

That answered Emily's question, "He didn't text you or anything?"

"I haven't heard from him. I left that idiot like a thousand messages and not one response!"

"Well…maybe he got tied with something. He was helping with the demo, right? Maybe he's been busy with that."

"That's not an excuse to ignore someone though!"

"Fair point, but being that Trojan was involved—"

"What does he expect to do with that?! It's not like he's a superhero or something!"

Emily could see where this was going. "Are you…really that mad with him?"

"I'm not mad at him! Just—ugh I don't know anymore…" Megan sulked. "I feel like I'm losing my mind. I want to be mad…but I feel like I'm the one who screwed up."

Emily slowly nodded. "Gotcha."

Megan turned to her, "what's that supposed to mean?"

The elevator reached their floor and Emily took a step out, "You don't like being mad at your crush so you're trying to blame yourself to not ruin the image of them in your head."

Megan was left speechless, to the point she scrambled to get out of the elevator when the door began to close. "How do you do that?!"

Emily turned as Megan caught up, "It takes a lot for me to trust people, so I tend to read them before I place any level of it on them. You're an open book when it comes to Trevor."

Megan's dark skin grew red in color. "That's—I mean—"

"I mean, what's the problem? If he's not gonna ask you out, then you do it."

"Yeah but…I don't…"

"Before you call yourself a burden to him, shouldn't you let him make that decision for himself?"

"He's not going to do that. He'll drop dead before he says no to anyone."

"Then both of you are nonsensical."

"Hey, watch it!" Megan snapped. "You'll find out how annoying it is when you develop a crush on someone."

Emily scoffed, "'The quiet one learns from the fool's mistakes.' The day that happens I'll be sure to come to you for advice."

Megan processed what she said and was ready to snap again but Emily stopped, reaching Adam's room.

"Everything in life has consequences, you know." She knocked on the door before twisting the knob, "Even when you don't act on something you believe in."

Emily took steps into the room, while Megan stood and let the words sink in. All they did at that moment was remind her of Melissa's words from days prior. If at all, the constant attempts to push it were actually turning her off to the idea entirely. Things are already tense as is and to throw this in the middle of it…? Trevor has enough on his plate to worry about a relationship. Her feelings are her priority, not his.

Megan walked inside of the room and closed the door behind her. The words, still lingering, she pushed them aside to focus on the boy in the bed. The subtle noise, caused Adam to twitch, giving the two girls a glimmer of hope that he's regaining consciousness. They waited with bated breath for a few more moments, watching his eyes slowly pry open.

Adam let out a groan, following it with slow, steady blinks as his eyes refocused. "Meg…?"

"Hey…" Megan said softly. "Not just me, Emily's here too…"

Adam groaned some more as his eyes shut back. "Where…am I?"

"Cisco University." Emily took her turn to speak.

"The…hospital?" Adam groggily questioned. "What…what happened?"

Megan furrowed her brow. "You…don't remember?"

"Remember what…?" Adam raised his hand to his head. "We went into Babylon and then…yeah. God…feel like I got steamrolled. Does Babylon even have steamrollers?"

"No, but if you're talking like that then you sound like you'll be okay."

Emily left the room to alert a Doctor of Adam waking up and after a few minutes of the doctor's checking the boy's vitals and making sure he was fully conscious; they allowed the two back inside to continue to fill him in of the day's events.

"Yeah…I don't remember anything past splitting up from you and Trevor," Adam said, propped up against pillows. "Speaking of, why isn't he here with you guys?"

Emily turned over to Megan. Noticing the girl's slight glare, she cleared her throat, "Probably at SAIBA trying to play detective."

"Sounds about right. Told him he's gonna drive himself into the grave one day but he doesn't listen."

"Let him," Megan said, letting a bit of animosity in her voice slip out. That quickly caught the other two by surprise.

"Yikes, I was only out for a day, what did I miss?"

"The two lovebirds had a bit of a falling out yesterday," Emily mentioned.

"We've been through this already!" Megan hissed.

"I know, but like him, you're just as stubborn in your own right."

Adam chuckled, resulting in Megan's death glare to latch onto him. Adam subsequently threw his hands up, while trying to stifle his laughter, "Is she wrong though? You flirt with him all the time, so you can't get mad now."

Megan gritted her teeth. "I can't with either of you! Can we please just not talk about Trevor for a minute?!"

Adam stopped laughing, and Emily finally realized she may have pushed one button too many. Megan realized her sudden outburst and retreated to her seat. "Look, guys…"

"No no, you're right. Now's not the time for stupid jokes." Adam admitted. "Besides, there's something else that's been bugging me."

"What's that?" Emily asked, aiding him in changing the topic.

"Meg…do you remember those nightmares I had as a kid? About the one with me being surrounded by fire?"

Megan's voice caught in her throat. She nodded, wondering what direction this conversation was going to go.

"There was a voice, that I would sometimes hear…and for years I couldn't figure out whose voice it was. But now…I think…it was Melissa's voice."

"Melissa? Why her?"

Adam shrugged. "I mean…it could be a coincidence. Just thought it was weird how oddly specific it is.

"Do you remember anything else from your dream?" Emily pressed.

Adam looked over to her, noticing the odd sense of curiosity on her part. Even so, he pondered for a moment, trying to think back to the dream that's become a basic part of his sleep. "Not really. Always starts as me in a fiery room. Intense flames extending in all directions, and blinding smoke that coats the ceiling in black. And that voice calling out to me.

"You don't remember anything aside from that?" Emily continued to press. Megan turned to her, wondering what she was doing.

"Nada."

"Are you sure?"

"Um… Emily? Can we talk for a sec?"

"But—"

"Outside. Now." Megan said sternly.

"Just go with it," Adam said, assuring in his voice it was pointless to argue.

Emily rolled her eyes and stood up, with Megan following her lead. The pair walked out of the room and closed the door behind them.

"What the heck are you doing?" Megan asked her, keeping the stern tone.

"Trying to get answers out of—"

"Are you kidding me right now?! You really think he's in any condition to be interrogated?!"

Emily almost didn't want to respond to that. "You don't think he deserves answers as to what happened all those years ago?"

"I do but now's not the time to be discussing that."

"Are you sure? Because the moment the opportunity presents itself, you're quick to shield him. Why is that?"

Megan hesitated to answer, reminded that she stopped her the day before once already. Her silence gave Emily confirmation. "Look, what happened five years ago…wasn't a pleasant experience for any of us to put it lightly. But just because you want to put it behind you doesn't mean the rest of us want to do the same."

"I don't want to put it behind me, but some things are better left alone!"

"But this isn't one of them…" Emily's voice softened. "Especially after what happened yesterday."

Megan continued to herself without words. She couldn't argue as much as she wanted.

"Look, bottom line, you don't have to approve of what I do. But for both of their sakes, let them do what they want to. They need to find their own sense of closure themselves. As do you."

Emily turned and began to walk away, leaving Megan to stand there in the middle of the hallway lost in thought.


"Hey, Dad, you there?" Trevor knocked on the office door and awaited a response. On his way to the hospital to check on Adam, Michael sent a text to him telling him to change course so they could discuss what transpired the day before. Trevor knew it was only a matter of time before his father would find out that he used Babylon without his knowledge, but he just wished the timing weren't so poor. He wanted to see whether or not Layla lied to him about Adam waking up today, and he was hoping to apologize to Megan as well and clear up the mess between them. His heart ached from the guilt from his words and was eager to apologize, only fueled by the odd notion that she believed that it was all her fault. He definitely owed her for having to put up with him.

As he went to twist the handle, the handle moved on its own, to his surprise. On the other side of the door stood Layla, catching him off guard. An awkward moment passed before she shoved past him and went about her way.

"Hey wai—" Trevor went to call out to her but refrained at the last moment, opting to leave her be. She's not a friend. She's with Trojan and he needed to remember that.

Trevor went inside the room and closed the door behind him. His father was at his desk, a cup of Starbucks ice coffee sitting beside him. "Everything okay with you two?" he asked, noticing that odd moment between them.

Trevor took a moment to choose his words, "It's…don't worry about it." He took a seat at the opposite side of the desk. "So, what's up?"

"For starters, the both of you in Babylon. Was there a particular reason for that?"

Trevor could hear the parental scolding incoming in his father's voice. "She told you, didn't she?"

"I have cameras all over the city, Trevor." Michael reminded. "I'm also the lead designer; I have say in what goes in and what gets taken out. But that being said, I've heard everything you said; including Layla admitting she was one of the two hackers that attacked over the last two days."

Trevor paused. "And what are you going to do about it?"

Michael threw his hands in the air. "What can I do about it? Mr. Saiba has taken it off my hands."

"So, he's covering it up?!" Trevor exclaimed.

"Looks that way doesn't it?"

"But Trojan attacked! Cyberterrorists have a backdoor in SAIBA's security; they can ruin the company if they're not stopped!"

"If word gets out that Akiyoshi Saiba's daughter is related to an infamous cyberterrorist group, that's an even bigger can of worms. One that he much rather not be announced to the rest of the world." Michael countered. "It's not a cover-up if it's dealt with internally."

Trevor sunk back in his chair, pondering the logic. As he did so, Michael studied his son's expressions. "How much do you know about Trojan, Trevor?"

Trevor looked up, "I mean…everyone knows who they are. They're a group of hackers that showed up several years ago, responsible for major cyber-attacks across the globe. They're also responsible for the attack five years ago on the facility the day Adam and I took part in the Beta Test."

"But you don't know what their goal is…correct?"

"No…why?"

Michael realized the situation he was presented with and prepared himself to speak the following, "Trevor what I'm about to tell you does not leave this room, understood?"

Trevor didn't know how to respond to it; even so, if it was going to answer the questions burning in his mind, he was all ears…


"You guys have five more minutes before I start collecting them, so put down your final answers, or double-check them if you have to." Mr. Morris paced in between the desks as he monitored his students in the middle of their test. From the corner of his eye, he could see Megan, one of his brightest students seems to struggle, but he passed it off as his mind playing tricks on him.

In reality, however, Megan was indeed struggling. With everything happening over the weekend, it slipped her mind that she had a test this Monday. She planned to spend Saturday hanging out with her friends in Babylon and staying out afterward and spending Sunday studying. But with everything that took place regarding that, studying was the last thing on her mind. So here she found herself, racking her brain over topics that she normally had little trouble with.

If that wasn't stressful enough, neither of the boys showed up to school today. Emily came obviously because they both had Morris, but she had to admit that she saw neither of the two either, let alone hear from them. And despite Emily's words from the day before, her habit of worrying about them clouded her mindset and had her forego studying, to her detriment.

"One more minute…" Mr. Morris said checking the clock.

Megan muttered under her breath and decided to just guess the rest of the way through, rapidly bubbling in all the answers on her scantron that she either skipped or didn't reach. An unusual position to be in, she figured it would be better to guess than to not have any answers at all. As the last bubble was scribbled in, the bell rung.

"Alright, times up!" Mr. Morris exclaimed, clapping his hands together. I'll collect the scantrons as you leave the room, so don't forget to drop them to me as you leave.

Silently getting up, Megan didn't hesitate to grab her scantron and make a beeline for the exit. She knew she bombed the test and the reason for it was inexcusable from her perspective. She proceeded to get on the line of students who dropped their test off, anxiously counting the seconds before she could turn hers in and bolt out the room.

"Thank you…thank you…" Mr. Morris continued down the line until he got to Megan. "Thank you—Oh, Ms. Jones; do you have a moment?"

Megan froze in step like a deer in headlights. "…Yes?"

Mr. Morris took Emily's test and Megan watched as her friend exited the room before her. Mr. Morris noticed even more now that Megan was off today. "On second thought…how about we talk during lunch?"

Megan looked at her teachers, realizing as well that the next period's students were beginning to enter. "Are you sure?"

Mr. Morris nodded. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble; just need a favor is all. We'll talk more later."

"Oh…right, okay then." She nodded. The late bell rung, alerting her to take off before she ended up in trouble.

Mr. Morris meanwhile watched as she ran off, planning how to tactfully approach the situation as he went to close the door to his classroom.


"Wanna come with me to Mr. Morris' before heading to the cafeteria?" Megan asked Emily as they exited 4th-period History.

"Do I have a choice?" Emily inquired, sensing an ulterior motive behind her request.

"Nope!" Megan responded, pushing the girl ahead of her. She drew her wide grin before Emily, causing the latter to be put off.

"Are…you okay?" Emily asked.

"Never better! Woke up fully energized and ready for a better week!"

"Okay stop it, it's getting creepy now," Emily stated, causing Megan to react.

"What's creepy?" Megan demanded to know.

"You're still sore about the weekend, aren't you?"

Megan grew quiet. "Just…much rather not think about it. Y'know, just like you told me to."

"Megan that's not what I—"

"That is what you meant." She interjected. Emily stood quiet and listened to Megan speak her mind, "Look, I made peace with what happened five years ago. I've accepted what happened and I thought that everyone else did as well. And yeah, I don't approve of what you guys are doing…but if you all desperately need closure then who am I to stop you?"

Emily continued to remain silent as they went down the staircase. Eventually, she took a deep breath and spoke, "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said what I did."

"You're fine," Megan reassured. "Honestly, I can be a bit self-righteous for my own good and need someone like you to balance me out."

Emily bit her lip and kept walking, taking the compliment with a nod. "I appreciate that."

After a few more moments of walking past the lockers, they came up to Mr. Morris' classroom, his door wide open and awaiting his guest. Mr. Morris looked up, noticing the two girls present in the doorway.

"Surprised to see you as well Ms. Parker." Mr. Morris said setting down his pen. "Come on in."

The two girls acknowledged the invitation and made their way inside.

"I hope you don't mind…" Megan excused.

"No no, I don't mind at all." He cleared his throat. "Must say, it's good to see you two got along as quickly as you did."

"Common interests and all that," Megan smiled. "In any case, what was that favor you needed?"

"Oh right, well you see, I just wanted to see how you were doing. You seem to be a little off your game as of recent."

"Me? I'm fine." Megan stated.

Mr. Morris leaned forward, his gaze peeking over the frame of his glasses, "Ms. Jones I've had you in my class for almost two years and you're by far one of the brightest students I've had; believe me when I say I know when something's wrong."

"Really, I'm good. Yeah, I've been a bit out of it over the last week, but all is well now, I promise."

Emily didn't have to read Megan to know that she was lying to avoid bringing up personal problems. Emily also knew that Megan was too smart to bring up anything about the hacking attempt.

"Are you having problems at home? Parents?

Megan's expression shifted, to where Emily noticed. It then clicked in her head what Trevor said before that caused him to be slapped. A new seed of guilt began to take root inside of her.

"Look, it's not that big of a deal. If there's nothing else, you need I'm gonna head to lunch." Megan said, holding back tears.

"Hold on a second!" Mr. Morris said quickly pulling a desk drawer open and pulling an object out. "Before you go…"

Emily looked over and saw the deck of Digimon cards now sitting on top of the desk. Megan turned around and was equally surprised as well.

"I know this is the latest craze amongst the students and some of the younger faculty in the school and I can see that you and your friends are into it as well," He said, referencing the deck case on her side.

"Have you…played before?" Emily curiously asked, trying to wrap her head around it.

"Oh, these aren't my cards, actually. I confiscated them from another student, and they forgot to pick them up. But if it helps Ms. Jones here to open up a bit more, then as a Teacher I'm gonna do what I can."

Megan still somewhat loss for words understood that much. Mr. Morris was known for his parental approach with the students leading him to be one of the more popular faculty members of Norbert High. At this point, it would be almost offensive if she didn't take him up on his offer.

"Alright, if you insist." Megan agreed.

With a smile, Mr. Morris rose from his desk and went to push two desks together for them. Being that he didn't have a D-Case, they were to forego the digital aspect of a tabletop game and do things old fashioned. Emily offered to write the memory usage on a piece of paper so they could keep track.

Shuffling their decks, setting their security, and drawing their hands, Megan and Mr. Morris were ready to begin the game.

"Ready?" Megan asked.

Mr. Morris nodded.

"Digi-Gate: Open!"


"I'll start," Megan stated. "I hatch Tanemon. Tanemon's gonna Digivolve into Tentomon, then into Kabuterimon for 1 Memory. Megan drew 2 cards for the digivolutions, and Megan made a note of the memory spent.

Tanemon (BT1-007)

Color: Green

Level: 2

Tentomon (BT1-066)

Color: Green

Level: 3

DP: 2000

Kabuterimon (BT1- 073)

Color: Green

Level: 4

DP: 5000

MEMORY

0-1 (Turn Change: Morris)

"My turn then." Mr. Morris drew. "I hatch Frimon. Frimon will digivolve into Agumon, draw a card, and I'll play Ogremon from my hand for four memory."

Frimon (BT1-008)

Color: Green

Level: 2

Agumon (BT2-043)

Color: Green

Level: 3

Ogremon (BT1-069)

Color: Green

Level: 4

MEMORY

1-3 (Turn Change: Megan)

"A mirror match," Emily noted, seeing that Morris' deck was Green. "With such a limited pool, the decks will likely be similar in nature."

Megan drew, "I'm gonna win anyway so it's not like it matters. I play Palmon from my hand."

Palmon (BT1-067)

Color: Green

Level: 3

DP: 1000

MEMORY

3-0

"Palmon reveals the top three cards of my deck. From them, if there's a Level 4 Digimon among them, I can add it to my hand. The others go to the bottom of the deck." Megan took the top three cards and flipped them, revealing Togemon, Woodmon, and Forbidden Temptation. "I add Togemon to my hand."

Megan set aside the card and sent the remaining two to the bottom. "Palmon Digivolves into Togemon."

Togemon (BT1-074)

Color: Green

Level: 3

DP: 5000

"Togemon's effect is similar, revealing the top three and adding a Level 5 or higher Digimon to my hand," Megan repeated her move, revealing Mimi, Kabuterimon, and Tentomon. None of which were Level 5's. Reluctantly she moved all three to the bottom, especially disappointed in the loss of Mimi.

MEMORY

0-2 (Turn Change: Morris)

Morris drew. Agumon digivolves into Tyrannomon.

Tyrannomon (BT2-044)

Color: Green

Level: 4

DP: 4000

MEMORY

2-0

"When Tyrannomon is Digivolved into, like Togemon it also reveals the top three cards of my deck. From it, I can add 1 Level 5 Digimon, as well as a Green Tamer to my hand." Morris took the top three cards and revealed Mushroommon, Okuwamon, and Terrors Cluster. Okuwamon, being the Level 5 among them was added to his hand while the other two went to the bottom.

"Ogremon performs a Security Attack." Morris suspended Ogremon.

Megan

Security 5-4

"Security Check…" Megan proceeded to flip the card over. Lillymon was revealed, to Megan's slight dismay.

"Ogremon has Jamming which protects it from being deleted."

Megan didn't expect that and looked at the card, seeing the small text indicate said effect. Not only did she lose a good card, but it was also unable to delete the attacker.

"I'll end my turn by playing Woodmon for five Memory.

Woodmon (BT1-072)

Color: Green

Level: 4

DP: 6000

MEMORY

0-5 (Turn Change: Megan)

Sitting at five memory, Megan drew. "Kabuterimon moves into the Battle Area. Then, Digivolves into Jagamon.

Jagamon (BT1-078)

Color: Green

Level: 5

DP: 7000

MEMORY

5-2

"Jagamon attacks Ogremon! When Jagamon attacks, I reveal the top 3 cards of my deck. If one of them is a Level 6 Digimon, I can digivolve immediately." Megan proceeded to do so, revealing Hercules Kabuterimon, Kokuwamon, and Flower Cannon. "Yes! Alright, Jagamon digivolves into Hercules Kabuterimon!

Hercules Kabuterimon (BT1-081)

Color: Green

Level: 6

DP: 10,000

"Alright, well Woodmon will just have to block that." Morris countered.

"Tanemon and Kabuterimon's IE effects activate. Since I digivolved this turn, Tanemon gives Hercules +1000 DP. Kabuterimon also gives +1000 DP for each suspended Digimon you have during my turn. Since you have two, I get a total of 3000 DP between the both of them.

Hercules Kabuterimon: 10,000-13,000 DP

Woodmon: 6000 DP

"And on top of all that, Hercules Kabuterimon has Piercing, so whenever it deletes one of your Digimon, I force you to perform a Security Check!"

Morris

Security: 5-4

"Oh, I see. Smart play there." Morris commended, moving Woodmon to the Trash. "Alright then, Security Check." He flipped the card over, "MetalTyrannomon with 6,000 DP. Obviously, if Woodmon couldn't stop it then surely he can't either." Morris moved MetalTyrannomon to the Trash as well.

"And to keep the pressure on you, I'll pay three Memory to unsuspend Hercules leaving you at 1 Memory."

MEMORY

2-1 (Turn Change: Morris)

Morris drew and weighed his options to himself. "Hmm, with one memory I can't do much, can I?"

"Not really," Megan smirked.

Morris acknowledged his predicament. "Alright then; Tyrannomon moves to the Battle Area, and Ogremon will Digivolve into Digitamamon.

Digitamamon (BT1-075)

Color: Green

Level: 5

DP: 7000

MEMORY

1-2 (Turn Change: Megan)

"You seem to be in a better mood," Morris commented on Megan's expression as she drew.

"Sorry what?" Megan blinked.

Morris waved, "No I was just saying how better you're looking since we started playing. I can tell this game means a lot to you, right?"

Megan didn't respond, almost as if she were embarrassed to answer that. "I hatch Tanemon. Meanwhile, Togemon's gonna Digivolve into MegaKabuterimon."

MegaKabuterimon (BT1-076)

Color: Green

Level: 5

DP: 6000

MEMORY

2-0

"HerculesKabuterimon Security Attack!"

Morris

Security 4-3

Morris flipped the card over. "Security Trigger: Terror Clusters. One of your Digimon is sent to the bottom of your deck, it's digivolution cards trashed as a result.

"What?!" Megan exclaimed. Her trashy luck resulted in one of her heavy hitters scooped up. Hopefully, she can recover from that.

After setting her Level 6 to the bottom and the rest of her cards into the Trash, she Digivolved Tanemon into Kokuwamon and passed the turn over.

Kokuwamon (BT1-068)

Color: Green

Level: 3

DP: 2000

MEMORY

0-1 (Turn Change: Morris)

"Just like that, the nuisance is gone," Emily commented.

"Don't take his side!" Megan snapped.

"I'm not taking sides. I'm just keeping score, remember?" Emily reminded.

Mr. Morris chuckled. "I'm sure you'll have a way to come back."

"Oh, you just wait," Megan said. "Once it's my turn you'll see what I'm really capable of."

Mr. Morris drew. "I wonder…?" He then suspends Digitamamon. "Security Attack with Digitamamon. His effect lets me gain 3 Memory.

MEMORY

1-4

Megan

Security: 4-3

"Security Check." Megan flipped the card over, revealing a 2nd Mimi card. "Security Trigger! I play the Tamer Mimi Tachikawa!" She excitedly moved Mimi into the Battle Area behind her Digimon.

Mimi Tachikawa

Color: Green

"That must be a good card if you're that excited about it."

"As I said, just wait until it's my turn again."

Mr. Morris smirked, "Tyrannomon Digivolves into MetalTyrannomon."

MetalTyrannomon (BT2-046)

Color: Green

Level: 5

DP: 6000

MEMORY

4-2

"And then finally into Titamon."

Titamon (BT1-080)

Color: Green

Level: 6

DP: 12,000

MEMORY

2-0

Mr. Morris looked up at Megan, who was a little taken aback at the pure strength of the Digimon. "Not to add on to the situation, but Agumon's IE Effect boosts it by 1000 DP, and if you have two or more suspended Digimon, Frimon will add another 2000 DP to it.

Titamon: 12,000-13,000 DP

"You don't have anything in your deck that can beat that, do you?" Emily asked the girl.

Megan shook her head. "I thought you said you never played before!"

"I never said that. I'm just using the cards because I don't personally bring mine to work. The last thing I need is for students to call me a hypocrite and all that."

"Fair enough…" Megan said, the reality of the situation becoming more evident. She looked back at the field and tried to formulate a plan to beat Titamon, as big as it was.

"Titamon, Security Attack!"

Megan

Security 3-2

Megan reluctantly flipped the card over. Mushroommon was on the other side of the card. That would barely scratch that behemoth let alone delete it.

"I'll end my turn. Due to Digitamamon, since I borrowed three Memory, I'm forced to hand it back over."

"And because of Mimi, My Memory is set to three automatically, which gives me a total of six to start with.

MEMORY

0-6 (Turn Change: Megan)

"You better make this count, before you're out of Security."

"Don't remind me…" Megan drew. A smile curled around her lips. "Perfect timing!"

Mr. Morris furrowed his brow as he watched the girl begin her turn.

"Kokuwamon moves to the Battle Area to start. Then, Kokuwamon Digivolves into Kabuterimon!"

MEMORY

6-5

She drew. "Now, Queen of Flowers, bloom so that your kingdom can stand tall! MegaKabuterimon Digivolves into Rosemon!"

Rosemon (BT1-082)

Color: Green

Level: 6

DP: 11,000

MEMORY

5-2

With a triumphant smirk, the moment was ruined by Mr. Morris' sudden outburst of laughter. Megan was caught off guard. "What's…?"

"It's just…" Emily spoke up. "Without the visual displays, what you said…comes off as kind of lame, to put it lightly."

Megan flinched, her face turning a bright red color. Mr. Morris continued to double over, hysterically losing it.

"It's not funny!" Megan wanted to scream out her embarrassment. Even Emily couldn't contain herself, Mr. Morris' laughing becoming that contagious. Megan eventually gave up fighting it and allowed herself to laugh along with them.

After a minute, with the three of them finally calming down, they finally returned to the game. Mr. Morris looked at Megan, amused that the girl was smiling the way she was. "For the record, I don't think it's lame at all."

"It was never lame, to begin with. When I was little, my Dad used to call me his little 'Rose Bud.' And my grandmother used to have a massive Garden back when we still lived in Riverbank, and I used to pretend it was my kingdom. So, when I got into the game, I felt that Rosemon embodied that childhood fantasy of mine, hence the catchphrase I came up with."

Mr. Morris smiled, "You know, you sound just like my son. When he was little, he had an active imagination just like you did. I could only imagine what that creative mind of his would've become if he had the opportunity."

Megan and Emily got the implication in those few strained words. Megan bit her lip before responding, "I'm sorry to hear that. I lost my father a few years ago in an accident and this month is his anniversary. That's why I've been so distracted with everything. This time of year tends to be pretty difficult for my family."

Mr. Morris nodded. "I understand completely. As you know, my door is always open for you to come and talk to me if necessary." He turned to Emily, "Same goes for you as well, Ms. Parker. Don't hesitate if you need someone to talk to."

"I appreciate it," Emily nodded. She looked at the clock offhandedly. "Period's gonna end in a few minutes, by the way."

"What, already?" Megan said looking at the clock.

"Let's wrap this up then." Mr. Morris said. "It's still your turn."

"Right." Megan nodded, "Since I have a Level 5 or higher Digimon, I suspend Mimi to hatch a Digi-Egg." She suspended her tamer and revealed a new Tanemon. "Tanemon Digivolves into Tentomon," she drew, "and then Rosemon performs a Security Attack. Thanks to MegaKabuterimon's IE Effect, since Titamon and Digitamamon are both suspended, I gain a memory

MEMORY

2-3

Morris

Security: 3-2

"Security Check." Mr. Morris flipped the card over. "Security Trigger: Flower Cannon suspends Kabuterimon."

Megan went to suspend Kabuterimon. "To end, I play the Option Card Forbidden Temptation. Until the end of your turn, Titamon can't attack or block."

MEMORY

3-1 (Turn Change: Morris)

"Thought you wanted to end the game, not stall it," Emily mentioned.

"Hush, this is me ending it," Megan said.

"No need to worry." Mr. Morris said, drawing from his deck. "I have a plan in mind." He flipped a Digi-Egg over. "I Hatch Frimon, then Digivolve Digitamamon into a second Titamon."

MEMORY

1-1 (Turn Change: Megan)

"Oh great, two of those things." Megan drew, feeling disgruntled. "Mimi sets my Memory to 3 to start."

MEMORY

1-3

"I move Tentomon to the Battle Area, then suspend Mimi to hatch…" she flipped the card over. "My own Frimon. Then, Kabuterimon Digivolves into Lillymon."

Lillymon (BT1-079)

Color: Green

Level: 5

DP: 6000

MEMORY

3-1

Megan drew, "All or nothing! Tentomon, Security Attack!"

Morris

Security: 2-1

"Security Check." Mr. Morris flipped the card over. "Woodmon with 6,000 DP.

Tentomon: 3000 DP

Woodmon: 6000 DP

Megan moved Tentomon to the Trash. "Rosemon, your turn!"

Morris

Security: 1-0

"Security Check one last time…Security Trigger: Forbidden Temptation of Lillymon."

"Are you serious?!" Megan exclaimed.

Mr. Morris laughed again, "I'm as surprised as you are. Looks like lady luck favors me today."

Megan rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever."

MEMORY

1-3 (Turn Change: Morris)

Mr. Morris drew. "Titamon attacks Rosemon. All of its IE Effects, Frimon's Agumon's and MetalTyrannomon all come into play."

Titamon: 15,000 DP

Rosemon: 11,000 DP

Megan reluctantly moved her only Level 6 to the Trash, not liking the fact one bit.

"MetalTyrannomon's IE effect states that when my Digimon battles a Level 6 like Rosemon, it unsuspends after the battle." He turned Titamon upright. "Titamon, Security Attack!"

Megan

Security: 2-1

"Security Check…" She flipped the card over. "HerculesKabuterimon."

Titamon: 15,000 DP

HerculesKabuterimon: 10,000 DP

"My second Titamon also attacks your final Security."

Megan

Security: 1-0

"Final Security Check…Security Trigger: Giga Blaster. Unfortunately, it's wasted because you don't have any targets on your side to use it on."

"And to end this, and assure my victory, I'll play eleven memory to play Puppetmon from my hand."

"Puppetmon?" Megan repeated, hearing the name of the card for the first time.

Mr. Morris set the card down, the appearance of it making Megan feel a bit uneasy. Creepy to say the least.

MEMORY

3-8 (Turn Change: Megan)

"Puppetmon suspends Lillymon. And until the end of your next turn, you're not allowed to suspend her." Mr. Morris explained.

Creepy and annoying.

"It's alright," Megan said, drawing. "Should've attacked Lillymon, or did you forget how Mimi's effect worked?"

"Mimi only lets you hatch Digi-Eggs during your Main Phase as long as you have a Level 5 or higher Digimon."

"I Digivolve Frimon into Kokuwamon."

MEMORY

8-7

"And…because I have a Level 5 Digimon, I can suspend Mimi to put one Level 3 or Higher Digimon from my Breeding Area into the Battle Area." Megan smiled as she twisted the card sideways and moved Kokuwamon forward.

Mr. Morris was rather surprised, but he had to admit defeat, as Megan went in for the kill.

"Kokuwamon, Direct Attack!"

The bell rang the second the attack was declared, ending the game and the period as well. Mr. Morris collected the cards and rose from the table as students part of his 6th-period class started to pile in. Some noticed the cards on the table and began to whisper between themselves.

"Hey! Settle down!" Mr. Morris's stern voice came out in response to the snickering.

Megan and Emily cleaned up and grabbed their book bags to head off to their own respective classes, but not before the former went to thank the teacher.

"It is no problem. I'm glad that you find me trustworthy to approach me with sensitive topics like that."

Megan nodded, "Favorite teachers get that privilege after all."

"And so, do favorite students. If you want, you can re-take the test tomorrow during your lunch period.

"It's fine. One bad grade isn't going to kill my average is it?"

Mr. Morris pulled his desk draw open and reached for his book. Again, Emily looked over, noticing something inside but it was quickly closed. He flipped the pages in his grade book. "No…you and Ms. Parker are doing well. Which reminds me…" He took the deck and handed it to her. "If you happen across Mr. Kingston, tell him 'thanks' for letting me borrow his cards."

Megan didn't expect these cards to belong to Tyrone. She looked at her teacher for confirmation and he smirked. Turning red once again, she took Emily by the arm and dragged her out the classroom, the latter snapping at her to let go.


As the day winded down, Tyrone finished pulling his books out of his locker and he closed it, not noticing Megan standing behind the door. The girl startled him but before he could say anything, she handed the deck over to him. "These are yours, right?"

Tyrone continued to be shocked for a moment before it dawned on him what happened.

"Why did you give Mr. Morris your cards earlier?" Megan asked Tyrone.

"I didn't give him my cards, what are you talking about?" Tyrone defended. "He—"

"said that you let him borrow them. By the way, if you're gonna play Green, Mimi Tachikawa is definitely needed. Also, Titamon's a pain to deal with."

Tyrone paused for a second. "How are things with you?"

Megan blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean it's just…look I don't mean to be—"

"Worried?" Megan finished his sentence. She smiled, "Thank you."

Tyrone blushed, "You're—welcome. I mean," he chuckled nervously. "Didn't think I'd get this far."

Megan stifled her laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"Where's the big bad T-Rex at?" Megan laughed, "I never seen this side of you, what happened all of the sudden?"

"Shut up! I'm not allowed to be nice to my friends?"

"We're friends?" Megan said, continuing to laugh. "This whole time I thought we were on your 'no-hit' list."

Tyrone was growing annoyed at this point. "Look, whatever. All I did was help Mr. Morris find a way to cheer you up."

Megan took a deep breath, "Are you sure there wasn't an ulterior motive behind all that?"

"Positive. Even I can see that you like Trevor at this point."

Megan quickly got quiet. "I do not."

"Don't play dumb. Why else would you bother to hang out with those two anyway?"

Megan was taken aback. "Excuse me? Don't talk about my friends like that!"

"I'm not wrong though, am I?"

"No, you're completely wrong! You don't know the first thing about me or them so back off!"

Tyrone scoffed, "Not much to learn. One's a celebrity and the other's his fanboy. Not to mention you managed to grab a hold of that little sharp-tongued cutie too, right? Just a whole band of misfits, right?"

"I said back off!" Megan exclaimed. "Just because you can't make real friends doesn't give you the right to bad mouth mine! We already have plenty of crap to go through as is, the last thing we need is some scumbag like you adding onto that!"

Megan finally realized that the population of the hallway halted due to their confrontation. With everything that's happened up to this point, she couldn't be bothered to feel embarrassed.

"Alright, that's enough." Mr. Morris broke through the crowd and got in between them. "Mr. Kingston, I'd advise you to head off to practice instead of picking fights with people you're trying to help. And as for you Ms. Jones, don't ruin your reputation by getting into a pointless fight. You need to learn to worry about your own wellbeing before anyone else. Mr. McKnight and the rest of your friends can defend themselves I'm sure. They don't need you to protect them."

"Yeah but—"

"Leave. It. Alone." Mr. Morris repeated, sterner this time.

Megan retreated. "Yes sir…"

"Now go home. I'll see you in the morning."

"And you head off to practice before Coach Collins comes looking for you."

"Yes sir…" Tyrone obeyed.

With that, both of them broke apart, Tyrone going his way, and Megan going hers. She walked down the hallway feeling the stares around her shame her with each step out the front doorway. When she looked up, Emily was there awaiting her.

"Took you long enough." She commented. "Trevor texted me and said he and Adam are at SAIBA. Said we should both head over there."

"I'm good…" Megan's voice nearly cracked. "Tyrone just ruined my mood. At this point, I'm just going to go home and sleep."

Emily could see it in Megan's face that she was exhausted. She respected her decision, allowing Megan to head home, while she went in the opposite direction to the SAIBA Enterprise building.


Emily, after getting her visitor's pass, headed up to Melissa's office, where Trevor said he was going to be. He didn't specify what the matter was but being that both she and Megan were requested to come, she had a leading idea.

As Emily approached, she went to knock on the door. As her knuckle brushed up on the wooden door, a voice crept through, setting her heart on ice.

Emily nearly tackled the door open, startling the people inside. Melissa, Adam, and Trevor had shocked looks on their faces as a result. But Emily wasn't focused on that; just at the face of the girl who sat in front of her.

"Emily…" Layla said, recognizing the girl.

Emily's breath shook as she tried to fight back her erupting emotions. Anger bubbled inside as her teeth ground. Without acknowledging anyone else she unleashed.

"MURDERER!"